Easter Leftover Shepherds Pie

Easter Dinner this year was extravagant, as usual. Roasted a huge shank ham, prepared some scrumptious mushroom free green bean casserole, baked sweet and russet potatoes not to mention the delicious buttered corn. It was great. 

But trying to come up with unique things to do with leftovers, now that's the tricky part. So I went with throwing everything together. I mixed diced up ham into my green bean casserole along with the corn and a can of mixed vegetables. I decided it looked a little dry so I added a can of tomato soup. Then I layered that into a baking dish. I topped that with shredded sharp cheddar. 

I mashed my sweet potatoes and russet potatoes together with salt, pepper, garlic and milk. I spooned them on top off the meat and veggie mixture. Then top with French fried onions and bake at 350 for half an hour.

Yum!

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Bacon Bean Soup

Bean soup is an old family favorite. I do not make it the same way my great grandmother did. I'm a wee bit lazy compared to the beloved Matriarch of our family. 

What you need:

2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 pound bacon, chopped

2 cans white beans, undrained

2 cups milk

2 tbsp garlic powder 

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp pepper

2 tbsp onion powder

What to Do:

Sauté the potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and bacon until bacon is crisp. Stir in your seasonings. Then stir in your beans and milk. Let the soup simmer on low for three hours, or until all your veggies are tender. Allow to thicken up overnight in the fridge, reheat the next day for a great dinner.  

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Chicken in Creamy Mozzarella Sauce

I've been bored lately. And when I get bored I start throwing ingredients in my fridge together like a mad scientist. Here's the result!

For the chicken:

1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips

4 campari tomatoes, quartered

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp pepper

1/2 tbsp onion powder

Sauté your chicken with the rest of the ingredients until cooked through. Set aside.

For the Sauce:

2 cups whole milk 

1/2 cup butter

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp Italian seasoning blend

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

Bring the milk and butter to a simmer before adding in the cheese. Add all your seasonings and stir in the chicken mixture. 

Serve over noodles. The crescent rolls are just Pilsbury with garlic powder sprinkled on the inside. 

Pepper Crab Soup

Looking for something that sounds fancy but is really easy? This is the soup for you! 

What you need:

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped imitation crab meat

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 cup white onions, diced

1/2 cup roasted red pepper, diced

2 tbsp cracked black pepper

1 cup cubed velveeta

Bring your chicken broth and onions to a simmer. Add the rest of your ingredients and stir until smooth. Serve with some garlic toast. Delicious and easy from my kitchen to your table.

Fried Okra

I love okra. It's incredible for being a slimy seed pod, don't you think? I made deep fried okra for the first time past night and I was incredibly pleased with the result.

What you need:

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow corn 

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups okra, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup oil for frying

Large skillet

Spider

Large bowl lined with paper towels

Preheat your oil to 375 degrees.

Soak the okra in the buttermilk. 

In a large ziplock bag mix the flour, corn meal, pepper and garlic. Drain any excess buttermilk and put the buttermilk coated okra into the breading mixture. Shake well until all the okra is coated in the breading.

Pour the whole bag out into a pasta strainer over your garbage can to shake off any excess breading. 

Dump all the okra into your oil. Cook for about four minutes on each side, or until golden brown. 

Remove the okra from the oil with the spider and place them in the paper towel lined bowl to drained. Salt immediately.

There you have it! Another great dish from my kitchen to your table!

 

No Bake White Chocolate Pistachio Cheesecake

No Bake White Chocolate Pistachio Cheesecake

2 bricks cream cheese, softened

2 (3.5 oz) packages instant pistachio pudding mix

1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips, melted

1 (8 oz) tub cool whip

1 pre made graham cracker crust

1/2 cup pistachios, crushed

Mix first four ingredients with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Fill pie crust and top with crushed pistachios. Refrigerate at least four hours before serving. 

I wasn't expecting much when I threw this together. Look how simple it is! But I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike a lot of no bake desserts, this cheesecake is dense yet fluffy and mimics the texture of a real baked cheesecake. It's wonderful. So there you have it. Another great dish from my kitchen to your table!